Rangers cruise to 7-2 win over Canadiens in Game 1

New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs in Montreal on Saturday, May 17, 2014

MONTREAL – The Bell Centre was in a decibel mania through the pregame presentation highlighting the Canadiens’ storied history and culminating with a lone youth hockey player standing at center ice with a torch that morphed into an ice sheet of flames via projected images.

Then Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals began and the Rangers, who have done little well in this building in recent seasons, hushed the crowd.

“That’s a good feeling when you’re able to do that in a road rink,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “Especially this rink.”

Seven different players scored — with Rick Nash finally getting his first goal of the postseason — and grieving Marty St. Louis, whose mother’s funeral will be attended by the team today, opening the scoring in his hometown just 4:35 into the first period. It added up to a 7-2 rout of the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon that offset the loss of center Derick Brassard, who left early in the first period and is day to day with an unspecified injury.

His status for Monday night’s Game 2 is uncertain.

“There’s a lot of hockey left; we’ve got to get

ready for another hard-fought game,” said Ryan McDonagh, who tied the franchise playoff record for points for a defenseman with a goal and three assists, last reached by Brian Leetch in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals. “We can’t fall into the trap of just looking at the score and thinking it’s going to happen again.”

The Rangers, who rallied from a 3-1 series deficit with a Game 7 win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, presented problems for the Canadiens with their team speed and forechecking. The Rangers dominated the neutral zone and the Canadiens, coming off Wednesday’s 3-1 Game 7 win at Boston, had trouble handling the Rangers’ skating ability.

“It’s been a week of emotions,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 20 saves for his first Bell Centre win since March 17, 2009, and has surrendered just five goals in four wins since France St. Louis passed away at age 63 of a heart attack May 8. “You try to be there as a support and it makes you think about a lot of things, not only hockey.”

The Rangers snapped an eight-game losing streak at the Bell Centre on Nov. 16 with a 1-0 win and Cam Talbot in the net. But they had scored just four goals in their previous eight games in the arena.

Lundqvist had not started in Montreal since a 4-1 loss on Jan. 15, 2012. The ending was different this time.

“It was one of those nights where everything went our way,’ said Brad Richards, who made it 4-1 with 11.6 seconds left in the second period after Chris Kreider used a burst of speed to convert Nash’s feed for a 3-1 lead at 18:59. “We’ll go help out Marty [today] and just go to the next game. We have to realize it has to be a lot different on Monday night.”

After St. Louis and Mats Zuccarello – both off superb, no-look feeds from Dominic Moore – gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead 6:27 into the game, the Canadiens woke up in the second period. Rene Bourque, on a deflection off McDonagh, brought them within 2-1 at 12:38.

But Lundqvist stopped ex-Ranger Brandon Prust on an odd-man rush at 18:41 of the second period and Kreider and Richards got back-to-back goals to turn a close game into a laugher.

Carey Price, who clutched his right knee in pain after Kreider collided with him at 3:15 of the second period, exited after allowing four goals on 20 shots in two periods.

The Rangers added three power-play goals in the third period as the Canadiens’ frustrations mounted.

“It’s been an emotional time for everybody,” St. Louis said. “But the guys have been behind me. Their effort is unbelievable.”